Sidney smith boyce



To aZZ whom it may concern:

ATnNr rricn.

SIDNEY SMITH. BOYCE, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF DISINTEGRATING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,981, dated January29, 1889. Application filed December 13, 1888. Serial No. 293,415. (Nospecimens.)

Be it known that I, SIDNEY SMITH: Boron,

of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an ImprovedProcess of Disin- I tegrating Fibrous Substances, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description. The ob ect of this invention isto effect the direct and speedy separation of the fibers from thenatural straw of fiber-bearing plants such as flax, hemp, ramie, andjute; also, to remove from the fibers the adherin gum my, resinous,glutinous, and niucilaginous substances; and, also, to bleach the fibersand impart to them soft and pliable qualities and a polished or glossyfinish.

My invention consists in such mechanical j and chemical treatment of thefibers of said plants as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

I11 the practice of my invention I take the natural straw of the flax orother fibrous plant and subject the same to the action of a suitablebreaking mechanism until the said straw is thoroughly broken and thebeen and woody substances broken up and removed. from the fibers, so faras the same can be effected by the breaking operation. Any of thewellknown forms of breakirig-machines suited for the particular plant orstraw to be treated may be employed for the above purpose; hence aparticular (loser-nation of such nmchanisms is not here necessary. Thefibrous material recovered from the straw, as above described, I thenplace in a suitable vessel crmtaining a boiling solution of soap andwater, which solution must be neutral in respect to alkalies, and,preferably, rich in respect to oleaginous matters, made by dissolvingfrom four to six ounces of such soap to the gallon of water, in

which solution I boil the fibrous material for a period of from one tofive minutes, accordupon the fibers is to disintegrate, perfect, gloss,and polish them and impart to them a soft, fine, and silky quality,which is highly desirable. I do not confine myself torolling; but othermeans for separating the dried. masses of fibers may be employedas, forinstance, they may be picked apart 'or separated by hand.

The effect of boiling the fibrous material in the saponaceons solutionis to remove at once, to a great extent, the glutinous, mucilaginous,resinous, gummy, and coloring matters, and other impurities, and toclean, bleach, dress, and separate the fibers and render them fit forimmediate use in the arts for spinning and other purposes.

The successof my invention depends in thoroughly breaking the fiax orplant and re moving the boon, and in then. boiling the fibers for abrief period in a neutral sapon'aceous solution, or, preferably, asolution rich in oleaginous matter.

The strength of the solution required slightly varies, as does the timeof boiling, according to the nature of the fibrous material. Fibers fromgood bright flax straw require four ounces to the gallon of water andone min 7 5 utes time of boiling. An overripe fiber will require sixounces to a gallon of water with about one minntes boiling, although forless perfect results the strength may be diminished, and for a softerand more silky fiber the strength may be increased. For ramie, fourounces to a gallon of water and about one 1ninutes boilin aresuificient. For hemp, four to six ounces to the gallon of water and fromthree to five minutesboilingmaybe employed; or the treatment may berepeated in a solution of four ounces to the gallon of water and withone minutes boiling each time.

To produce the soapy solution rich in oleaginous matter, the soap may bespecially so 0 made by saponifying an excess of oily or fatty mattertherewith, or a quantity of oil or other fatty matter may be heated tothe boiling point and an equal amount of soap dissolved therein byboiling and agitating while a small 5 amount of water is added.

I have in the foregoing description stated the essential steps I employfor obtaining the fibers in a condition lit for use in the arts.

I will now mention a few additional details I00 of my practice whichhave a tendency to increase the excellence of the results Iobtainnamely, before boiling in the soapy solution the fibrousmaterialinay be subjected to the action of hot or boiling water andcleansed. In preparing the saponaceous bath I prefer to use a good soapmade high in animal or vegetable oils. The effect of usin such soap isto render the fibers more soft and pliable. After treatment of thefibers in the saponaceous bath, the fibers may be rinsed in water andthen dried.

As results of my invention I do away with the tedious, expensive, anddifficult modes of treating flax and other fibrous plants heretoforedeemed necessary-such as long retting, long boilinf s,treatments withalkalies, acids, mineral oils, and bleaching and scutching, &c.bywhieh,as I believe, the fibers are more or less wasted, weakened, and injured,and I '1 substitute in lieu thereof the quicker, more simple, and moreeconomical modes of treat- Having thus described my invention, what I 25 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The process of disintegrating fibrous substances, consisting of, fi rst,breaking the straw;

second, subjecting the fibers to the action of 30 a boiling neutralsoapy solution made by dissolving soap high in fatty matters in water;third, drying the fibers, and, fourth, subjecting the dried fibers torolling and finishing, as herein described.

SIDNEY SMITH BOYCE.

Witnesses:

(l. SnncwIcK, E'own. M. CLARK.

